World

A Swim in the Black Sea

"Regardless of nationality or social status, spending a week of vacation on the shores of the Black Sea is a common dream."

The Black Sea - mysterious, menacing and mythical - is at the heart of centuries of warfare, turmoil and historical drama. But to photographer Petrut Calinescu, the sea and it's surrounding resorts are "a show without an end... you never know the next chapter." Born along the coast in Constanta, a small town in Romania, Calinescu has always had a fascination with the sea and its "crazy energy, chaos and color" ever since he was a young boy.

After 36 years of being drawn to the romance of the open water, he decided to finally fulfill his curiosity with the Black Sea. With it's mixture of totalitarian regimes and young democracies, he ventured off with a journalist friend to circumvent the sea and photograph the varied cultures and landscapes around it.

In 2010, he journeyed through Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Ukraine and Russia, passing through a multitude of autonomous republics with some being recognized internationally, others stuck in a diplomatic limbo, such as Abkhazia and Transdniester. After spending four months exploring the seaside, Calinescu was able to capture scenes reminiscent of the cold war era; children jumping off crumbling concrete structures and stranded war ships looming over beachgoers. But he was also able to compose dreamlike seascapes and hauntingly beautiful scenes of a lifestyle not often seen.

Continuing the project, every summer he spends a few weeks out on the water photographing beach-goers on holiday. Collaborating with a team of journalists and coders, Calinescu also contributes to a blog dedicated to the documentation of the diverse Black Sea region.

Vacationing in the Black Sea

Georgia, Pitsunda, Abkhazia

A view of the beach in Pitsunda with mountains in the background seen through a broken window pane.

Mashable
is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Powered by its own proprietary technology, Mashable is the go-to source for tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.